Change
the oil and filter. Some machines may not have a filter. The
frequency of changing oil is the same.
Clean
the air filter, or replace it if you have been pretending you’re
an off road racer and raised a lot of dust.
Check
the drive belt tension and condition of the belt. Replace frayed and
badly cracked belts. There are belts that drive the blades, and
those that drive the differential. Some machines may have a shaft or
chain drive to the differential instead of a belt.
Sharpen
the blades and make sure they are reattached with the specified
torque. Check your manual for details. For obvious safety reasons,
this is very important.
Check
to see if the mower deck is level. If not, check the manual on how
to level it. This is important for a nice cut and helps prevent
scalping uneven areas of the lawn.
Clean
the underside of the mower deck. Scrape off grass build up.
Lubricate
the mower deck, front axle and wheel bearings. Look for grease
nipples on these areas and use the type of grease specified in your
manual. Usually, good quality, general-purpose grease is called for.
Check
and lubricate the differential as needed. If there is a chain drive,
lubricate that too. Refer to your manual.